JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It is far from time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to panic, but that doesn't mean Week 6 can't be a wakeup call.
The Jaguars stormed back in the fourth quarter to give themselves a chance to win, but they failed to find a way to win the AFC South clash with the Houston Texans in London.
So, what are some overreactions to the Jaguars' 34-31 loss that are rooted in reality at 4-2? We break it down below.
Brian Thomas Jr. is Turning Into WR5
Can anyone say comfortably that Brian Thomas Jr. will be ahead of Josh Cameron on the wide receiver depth chart when the Jaguars return from the bye week? Thomas had already become the forgotten man in the Jaguars' offense for the most part with just a handful of catches in the first few games, but he has caught zero passes on five targets in the last two weeks and has arguably cost the Jaguars four scoring opportunities in that span with drops. The Jaguars' staff trusts Cameron, and Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has not appeared to have any issues doing the same.
Then there is the fact that Travis Hunter got more run on offense. He didn't appear to play a heavy snap count on offense, but he did see four targets and caught them all for 59 yards and a touchdown. Had the Jaguars won, the story of the game would be Hunter's impact on offense. He will likely continue to see more touches, which really makes it seem like Thomas is receiver No. 5, and better off getting traded within the next month.
The AFC South Race is Officially On
The Jaguars will be entering the bye week with a two-game lead in the AFC South since the Texans and the Indianapolis Colts are both 2-4. It is far from an awful spot to be in after the first six games, especially considering how difficult this early stretch appeared before the season began. 4-2 has long been seen as a successful outcome, and that is what the Jaguars got.
With that said, the AFC South race is now on. A two-game lead is an OK one in terms of security, but there are still 11 games to go. Things can get completely turned upside down by January if the Jaguars do not clean up their issues, because the Texans are still very much in this. Beating the Texans would have given the Jaguars a three-game cushion, a better place to be in than the one the Jaguars now occupy. The Jaguars should still feel good about the AFC South, but they could have felt great.
The Jaguars Need Some Defensive Help
The Jaguars' defense had one of its worst games of the Anthony Campanile era on Sunday, allowing the Texans to score on 6-of-10 drives and allowing 34 points after allowing 40 points in the previous three games combined. C.J. Stroud picked the Jaguars apart no matter the blitz or the coverage, and the Texans also had far much more rushing success than anyone could have predicted entering the game.
"Yeah, wasn’t good enough for sure. Got to go back and look at it. Thought they made too many plays in the pass game, and they ran it better than anybody has on us so far. Got to evaluate it, get it cleaned up, but definitely disappointing," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said after the game on Sunday.
It doesn't feel fair to really throw blame at the pass-rush considering the disadvantage they were at by the field -- as evidenced by the Texans' lack of pass-rush production, which Coen noted after the game. Still, the Jaguars looked like a unit that could surely use another difference-maker on defense. They like their cornerback room, but could that be addressed with a trade before the deadline? It is worth considering after all of the big plays through the air.
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